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ICRC: 100 Years On: Such Tragedies Must Never Happen Again

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  • ICRC: 100 Years On: Such Tragedies Must Never Happen Again

    100 YEARS ON: SUCH TRAGEDIES MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN

    Premium Official News
    March 30, 2015 Monday

    Geneva

    International Committee of the Red Cross has issued the following
    news release:

    Sarah Epprecht, head of the ICRC delegation in Armenia, reflects
    on the tragic loss of countless Armenian lives under Ottoman rule a
    century ago. 2015 is the centennial of what is conventionally held
    to be the starting date of those terrible events.

    What is the ICRC's position on the massacre of the Armenian people
    in the Ottoman Empire?

    The events that occurred a century ago are without doubt tragic
    and still provoke strong feelings. From a humanitarian perspective,
    it is a tragedy.

    In line with our mandate, we prefer to focus on the importance of
    remembering the tremendous suffering and loss of life endured by
    countless Armenians under Ottoman rule. We see this year's centennial
    commemoration as a time to recognize the need to strengthen respect
    for human dignity and highlight the importance of efforts to prevent
    such tragedies from happening again anywhere in the world.

    How does the ICRC classify the events in legal terms?

    We are aware that there is a lot of interest in ascertaining which
    countries or organizations officially recognize as genocide the
    terrible events that took place under Ottoman rule. However, as a
    neutral and independent humanitarian organization, the ICRC does not
    take part in such debates.

    The ICRC is an international humanitarian organization with a history
    of working in situations of violence that stretches back 150 years.

    What efforts did the ICRC make to assist the Armenian people back then?

    One hundred years ago, the ICRC was not yet the organization that it
    is today. Unfortunately, at that time, we did not have the extensive
    field presence and proximity to victims that now characterizes our
    work. The situation at that time made direct assistance impossible.

    Nevertheless, in the years that followed, the ICRC focused on providing
    relief to Armenian children. It coordinated the efforts of a number
    of organizations to help children in Armenia who were suffering from
    the effects of the First World War.

    The ICRC has an extensive archive of different types of documents
    dating back a long time. Does it contain information about those
    terrible events?

    The ICRC archives from that time are open to the public, so they can
    be consulted by anyone who is interested. The resources to be found
    there reflect the ICRC's historical position and actions, which
    stemmed from its deep concern about the massacre of the Armenian
    people in the Ottoman Empire.



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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